A millionaire property developer has admitted he should not have modernised a Grade II listed building thought to have inspired the hymn All Things Bright and Beautiful. Kim Gregory Davies carried out dozens of unlawful alterations at Llanwenarth House, including the installation of a “mosaic-clad jacuzzi”, the replacement of timber windows with “modern” ones, and the removal of staircases, Newport crown court heard.
The house, in the Usk Valley, south Wales, was built in the late 16th century, and given its listed status more than 60 years ago because of its national importance. Irish composer Cecil Alexander is thought to have written the lyrics to the famous hymn while staying at the manor.
Other alterations included replacing old doors with modern “Tudor-esque” ones, installing ceiling spotlights and turning a bedroom into a bathroom. Davies, of Govillon, Monmouthshire, also admitted offences relating to the property’s coach house and its courtyard, such as tearing up old cobblestones and putting down new flagstone paving.
Davies had previously denied any wrongdoing and insisted that the changes he made were within the rules. He has now has pleaded guilty to five charges under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. His legal team asked Judge Daniel Williams to defer sentencing so that Davies could “put things right”.
Defence counsel George Carter-Stephenson QC said: “My client accepts that he has got himself into a very difficult position by fighting this case. He now has accepted legal advice and has pleaded guilty to these offences and needs to do something positive to restore the house to the way it should be. He wants to put right what he has wrongly done to the house.”
Davies bought Llanwenarth House for £675,000 but put it on the market for £2.25m four years later after spending a seven-figure sum on its restoration. The court heard that the renovations – which took place between June 2006 and August 2012 – had been “deliberate breaches” of planning law and the strict rules designed to protect listed buildings.
Having examined the sentencing guidelines, Judge Williams decided against deferring his judgment on the case. Penalties for changing a Grade II Listed Building without permission include a maximum 12-month prison sentence or an unlimited fine. Prosecutor Nicholas Haggan QC said that costs in the case were also likely to be “significant”.
Davies was released on bail ahead of sentencing on May 15.